Fountain pen



Sept. 7, 1937.

L KUTTER FOUNTAI N PEN Filed Sept. 5, 1935 Fig.

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Patented Sept. 7, 1937 I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

FOUNTAIN PEN Leopold Kutter, Vienna, Austria, assignor of onchalf toRoman Heller, Vienna, Austria Application September 3, 1935, Serial No.39,011 In Austria September 15, 1934 2 Claims. (Cl. 120-49) Fountainpens are already known consisting of to the known arrangement with leafspring, Figs. two telescopically slidable tubes in which a closing 1 and2 being longitudinal sections with the nib flap on the outer tube isautomatically opened retracted and pushed out respectively, and Fig. 3and closed when the inner tube is pushed out being a longitudinalsection of the middle part 5 or retracted, by means of a member actuatedby of the holder on a larger scale in the position 5 the innertube andengaging the flap. In such shown in Fig. 1. i an arrangement it isnecessary for the inner The fountain pen consists of the outer tube itube, which is retracted in the outer tube up to and the inner tube 2.The outer tube has a cloa stop, to be secured to some extent againstbesure cap 4 which can swing at 3 and which in ing pushed forward sothat the closure flap is the closed position bears on a packing 5. The10 held closed by means of this actuating member. closure cap iscontrolled by a leaf spring 6, with This arrangement is necessary, moreespecially an end 1' in the form of a lug which engages the in afountain pen in which the end of a curved cap 4 excentrically at 8 andis guided in a lonleaf spring engaging the closure flapexcentricalgitudinal groove 9 of the outer tube ly cooperates with atransverse notch and ad- The inner tube 2 contains the known inkresjoining longitudinal groove which have hitherto 'ervoir, which is notillustrated, and has at its been worked in a metal sleeve pushed on theend the known ink guide it and the nib ll.

inner tube. This metal sleeve is also provided The transverse notch l2,with adjoining lonwith resilient ridges which, when the inner tubegitudinal' groove l3 serving for controlling the is completelyretracted, engage behind an offset a leaf spring 6. and with it theclosure cap 4, is 20 part of the outer tube and prevent displacement,worked according to the invention, in the nonwhen the end of themovement of the inner tube metallic material, for example, vulcanite ofwhich has-been reached on account of a pin projecting the inner tube 2is made. Moreover, at the secout of the inner tube striking against theend of and end of this longitudinal groove a transverse the groove ofthe outer tube. notch i4 is formed in the material of the tube 25 Thismetal sleeve or other necessary metal for a purpose tobe describedbelow. parts are, however, complicated in manufacture The newarrangement for securing the inner and assembly, and also they havegreat disadtube 2 when completely retracted within the outer vantagesfor permanent satisfactory operation tube I, consists of an annulargroove l5 arranged of the fountain pen because they are attackedpreferably at a thickened part 28 of the tube 2 0 by the ink whicheasily reaches them from the and in which resilient members on the outernib, so that the displacement of the tubes and tube I can engage. Theseresilient members in the springing of the parts is detrimentally aftheexample illustrated consist of balls I! (see fe'cted. It would be muchtoo expensiveto manmore particularly Fig. 3), which are mounted ufacturethe sleeves or other large metal parts in cavities "of the outer tubefrom the outside 35 from suitable noble metal. in such a manner thatthey cannot fall out on The present invention avoids these disadvantheinside. The balls are surrounded on the tages by dispensing with thismetal sleeve or outside by a common freely springing ring ll other largemetal parts and providing a securing which forces them inwards and isdeformed re- 40 device for the inner tube when retracted in thesiliently by pressure from inside. outer tube up to a stop, consistingof an annular The balls I are mounted in cavities in a short grooveprovided on the inner tube inwhich resleeve It, in order to fulfill aparticular m mse, silient members are arranged on a sleeve which thesleeve being screwed into the outer tube I can be screwed on to theouter tube which also at 25 in such a manner that the free springingforms the'stop for an oifset part of the inner of the ring it arrangedbetween the two parts I, 45 tube and satisfactorily limits its movement.I9 is not affected. The sleeve ll further has a Further, the resilientmembers are preferably smaller internal diameter than the tube I. Thisformed from balls which are embraced together results in an internaloffset part 2. which serves by a freely springing ring. when a leafspring for obtaining a limitation of movement of the engaging with theclosure cap is provided the two tubes, I, 2 when the inner tube 2 is re-50 transverse notch and longitudinal groove are treated since an offsetpart II of the inner tube .worked in the non-metallic material, such asI strikes againstit, which offset part is formed vulcanite or the like,which forms the inner tube. by a further thickening of the tube 2,preferably The accompanyingdrawing illustrates a conalong a suitablelength If so that the tube 2 slides structional example of the inventionas applied smoothly in the tube 1 and also the leaf spring 55 6 can bepressed flat, as will be clear from the further description.

The two tubes I, 2 are prevented from rotating by a straight line guide,a pin 23 on the inner tube 2 engaging in a covered groove 24 or an openslot in the outer tube 1. This pin has hitherto been made of metal andhas been inserted in the groove 24 laterally from the interior of thetube I through a lateral opening. The groove 10 24 has been closed atboth ends by the material of the tube 2, or otherwise, so that the pin23 can strike against both ends in order to limit the movement of thetubes I, 2.

According to the invention the pin 23 strikes the end of the guidinggroove 24 only when the pen is pushed out (Fig. 2). When the tube 2 iscompletely retracted (Figs. 1 and 3) the movement of the two tubes I, 2is limited, not by the parts 23, 24, but by the stops 20, 2|. It istherefore also possible to arrange the pin 23 rigidly on the inner tube2 and if desired to make it from the same material as the tube. Theguiding groove 24 extends to the end of the tube I, that is up to thebeginning of the thread 25, and there- 25 fore, when the sleeve I9 isscrewed oil, the tube 2 together with the fixed pin 23 can be pushedinto the tube I, because the pin can enter the groove 24 at the openend.

The mode of operation of the pen is known in the basic feature.

When the tube 2 is completely retracted (Figs. 1 and 3) its movement islimited by the stops 20, 2| and the balls I6 acted upon by the springring l8 enter the annular groove l5 of the thickened part 26 and securethe inner tube against displacement with a certain amount of force. Inthis way an undesired opening of the closure cap 4 is prevented becausethe end I of the leaf spring is thereby somewhat stretched and the notchis provided on the inner tube which is held fast.

When the tube 2 is pushed out, which is not possible only by using acertain amount of force in order to lift the balls l6 outof the grooveIS, the closure cap 4 is first opened by means of the leaf spring 6. Thelug I at the end of the spring moves out of the notch l2, slides intothe groove I3 and finally enters the second notch 14 'at the end of themovement of the tubes l, 2 (Fig. 2) determined by the pin 23 and groove24 or by the abutment 32. By this engagement the tubes I, 2 are held,with a certain amount of force, against a retraction of the tube 2, sothat an undesired retraction of the nib by the pressure used in writingis not possible. The balls l6 slide on the part of the tube which is notthickened so 4 that the spring ring I8 is stretched somewhat and thepressure of the balls is smaller.

When the tube 2 is retracted the lug 1 is first lifted out of the notchl4. The cap 4 cannot then be closed because the leaf spring 6, which ispressed fiat by the thickened-part 22, slides ineffectively in thegroove 13. When the tube is practically completely retracted the lug Icatches in the notch I 2, assisted by the spring 6 becoming curvedagain, so that the cap 4 is closed.

What I claim is:

1. A fountain pen holder comprising two telescopically slidable tubes,the inner tube being provided with an annular groove, a plurality ofmembers associated with the outer tube and resiliently engageable insaid groove when the tubes are retracted, a sleeve member secured to theinner end-of the outer tube, said sleeve member having recesses forreceiving said resiliently engageable members and having an internaloffset portion, said inner tube having an external oifset portion, saidoffset portions abutting each other when the tubes are retracted,whereby the tubes are resiliently fixed to each other when retracted.

2. A fountain pen holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein said resilientlyengageable members are constituted by balls and further comprising afreely resilient ring disposed between the inner end oi the outer tubeand said sleeve for embracing said balls.

LEOPOLD KUTTER.

